Twist Of Fate
by Lioness1968
Summary: A plane crash shakes Sofia's world… Story warning: Content mention and description of a plane crash… Information: Mention of F/F Relationship… don't like don't read
1. Chapter 1

**Pairing: **Sara Sidle & Sofia Curtis

**Rating: **R

**Spoiler warning: **None!

**Warning: **Mature sexual content and coarse language. _Femslash, but if you weren't into gay stories you wouldn't be here… Right? _

**Story Warning:** Content mention and description of a plane crash, so if you suffer from aerophobia (Fear of flying) then this story may not be for you!

**Disclaimer: **Some of the characters and situations in this story belong to Alliance Atlantis, CBS, Anthony Zuicker and other entities, and I do not have permission to borrow them. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes_.__Any errors are mine. _

**Summary: **A look into my own alternate universe…

00000

**Twist of Fate.**

Most of the graveyard team was gathered in the break room waiting on Grissom and the night's assignments. Greg and Warrick were playing against each other on the PS2, while Nick was sitting at the table with Catherine exchanging information on the case they were working together.

The boy's game ended with Greg dying for the third time just as Grissom entered the break room. Warrick turned off the PS2 and the TV went back onto one of the news channels.

"_We're bringing you breaking local news now live on Channel 5…"_ And the picture shifted to a young reddish brown haired woman standing somewhere outside.

Warrick turned off the TV. If time had taught him anything it was that media news seldom meant something important if the police hadn't heard about it. _'On-the-job injury'_ he admitted to himself with a chuckle. The news could as easily be some well-known face visiting the city, after all Vegas were known for attracting the rich and famous.

Grissom was getting an update on Nick and Catherine's case when Brass entered the room.

"Good you're all here" the Captain greeted. "Greg, you're closest, please turn on the news."

"Jim, what is going on?" Grissom asked giving his friend a confuse stare.

"Airplane crash…" was all Brass replied.

00000

Sofia slam-banged the door behind her and rushed to her car. She had so overslept which only had given her time for a quick shower and a coffee to go. She blamed Sara for that…

After almost seven month together they'd finally just last month tied the knots and moved in together, and since then the detective had never used her alarm clock. It still amazed her that Sara without any kind of sleep pattern nevertheless managed to wake up hours before she had to go to work or what else they'd planned to do.

Of course the fact that Sara was in Los Angeles attending a Behavioral sciences conferences sort of excused her, but indirectly she was still to blame according to Sofia. During their time together the blonde had grown so accustom to have the brunette in bed with her that she hardly had been able to sleep since the investigator went to LA.

But today due to the lack of good sleep, she had collapsed on the their bed the minute she had gotten home from work without setting any kind of alarm and therefore she was now running late for work… yeah she definitely blamed her girlfriend…

Coming to a stop at a red light the detective fished out her cell phone. Two text messages were waiting. The first one was from Sara and said… _rest of the seminar has been canceled… are flying home later today… see you soon - S_ Sofia lit up in a big smile and quickly wrote back… _let me know when you're arriving and I'll pick you up… S _

When she reached the next red light she picked up her phone again and read the other message that was from Brass… _no need to go by the precinct just drive straight to the lab_… Sofia frowned a little at that but on the other hand it wasn't the first time he had wrote her a note like that, it probably just meant that either Nick or Catherine had asked for her.

00000

The second Sofia entered the lab she got a strong feeling that something was off. The lab was to quiet, not in the sense that everyone was busy or in the field. It was more like the lab was on some kind of nervous energy. It felt like stillness before a storm.

She opened the door to the break room, which held the entire graveyard team of CSIs, minus Sara, but plus Brass. They all stared at the television, as they would stare at a piece of evidence found at a crime scene.

"Hi" she said in a low voice going over to the coffee pot where Brass was leaning against the counter. "What's going on?" She asked him while pouring herself a mug of the black liquid.

"You haven't seen the news" Brass stated more than asked.

"No" Sofia shook her head, "I overslept so I didn't have time for anything else than a shower."

"About an hour ago a commercial plane went down some miles outside of Enterprise" Brass told her, "No one really knows how bad the crash is yet. The smoke is too thick for the news chopper to get any air shots."

Catherine came over to refill her cup, "so now we're just waiting to see if FAA gonna call and require our help."

Sofia wasn't really listening to them anymore; all she could think about was the hundreds of flights coming into McCarran on a single night, and how big the odds was that this wasn't Sara's plane.

"Sofia?" Brass gently placed his hand on her shoulder, "are you all right?" The blonde detective had suddenly turned dangerously pale.

No she was not all right, all of a sudden she had this big knot I her throat that was making it extremely hard to breath. Out of nowhere a stool appeared and she slowly sank onto it.

"Oh my god!" Catherine's fingers covered her mouth delicately as she look down on the very pale detective. "Do you know anyone flying in tonight, Sofia?" She asked hoping it wasn't the case.

Greg turned his face towards his supervisor, "uhm Sara…" he began, "I mean, uhm her conferences isn't over until Friday, right?"

Grissom never got further than to shake his head before Sofia's strained voice replied, "Her seminar got canceled. She is on her way back to Vegas."

"Oh no" Nick mumbled fearing the worst.

"Okay, let's not jump to any assumption yet" Warrick said in an admonitory tone of voice. "We don't even know if that plane was coming or leaving or if its destination even was Vegas. With all the air traffic in and out of here the odds of Sara being on exactly that plane is somewhere between slim to nothing."

"He's right" Grissom stated. Looking at Brass he continued, "Jim and I will see if we can get some more information. The rest of you just stay here. We need to stay available in case the FAA decides they want our help."

The group nodded and turned their heads back towards the TV the second Grissom and Brass was out the door. The newsreader reappeared on the screen after a short commercial break.

"_You are watching channel 5 and __we are back with the latest update on the plane crash that happened only miles outside of Las Vegas… it has now been confirmed that the plane that went down ten miles outside of Enterprise was on its way into McCarran International Airport at the time of the accident..."_

She was starting to lose it. Her thoughts were tumbling around; all kinds of scenarios kept fading in and out of her mind. She couldn't couldn't breathe.

"I have to call her" Sofia said absently. She didn't continue,and neither of them needed to ask why. They had all noticed the twinkle in Sara's eye, and that she smiled more than she had in the past couple of years combined. Come to think of it, especially when the detective was present. They all knew why, though, it wasn't until now they knew who.

"I don't think you're allowed having you phone on during the flight" Nick enlightened.

"It's only an hour flight" Sofia retorted, "She should be in Vegas by now."

She picked up her cell phone and held down the key to speed dial her phone. As the phone started to ring, she got out of her chair and exited into the hall for a bit of privacy.

"Babe, please just answer your phone… pick up honey, please let me hear that sweet voice of yours…" Sofia murmured into the phone. Her face lit up in a smile as she heard a click but it faded as fast as she realized she was being connected to her voice mail.

"_This is the voice mail of Sara Sidle, Las Vegas Crime Lab. Please leave a message and I will return your call ASAP." _

Hearing Sara's voice knocked the air out of her lungs so she took a deep breath before the beep progressed into the recording phase.

"Hi babe, please call me the second you hear this message… it's really important sweetie, I need to get in contact with you so please the second you hear this, Sara… miss you, see you soon, babe." Sofia closed the phone and went back into the break room and dropped down on the couch.

She leaned back and closed her eyes; she was breathing deeply and fighting to hold her composure. No one had to ask it was evident that Sara hadn't answered her phone.

"Have you found out anything?" Was out of Catherine's mouth the second Brass and Grissom reentered the break room.

"Maybe" Grissom replied in a low voice. "Channel 5 didn't have more news but Brass is on the phone trying to get some details for us."

"Oh, yeah sure" Brass responded to whoever he was taking too. "Good… and you are absolutely sure about that?"

Sofia looked pleading at him, "Jim?"

Brass held one finger up to silence her. "Okay anything else? Flight number, airport, passage list, hell do we know what air… oh, okay, thanks. Listen, if you hear anything else then please let me know." He disconnected the line and looked at the blonde detective.

"Jim, please tell me" Sofia almost begged.

"The plane took off from LAX, designated for McCarran. It went down in the desert somewhere between Enterprise and Blue Diamond." Brass sighed heavily, "They think… they say… it's going to be a rough one."

Sofia stared blankly into the air while she kept repeating, "this cannot be happening… this cannot be happening…"

Greg sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "do you know her flight number or what time she was suppose to leave?" He asked softly.

"No" Sofia shook her head, "she sent me a massage that she was on her way home due to her seminar had been canceled. That's all she told."

Brass turned to Grissom, "you know what seminar she went to and what hotel she stayed at. Call them and find out as much as you can" he half ordered.

In any other situation Grissom probably would have been pissed about Jim's tone of voice, but he didn't say a word. A brief nod was all he gave before he quickly went to his office.

"I need air" Sofia said. She rose from the couch and went outside.

00000

Leaning against the wall Sofia sank to the ground, she wrapped her arms around her lower legs and rested her head on her knees and stared up at the dark night sky.

This couldn't be happening; it had to be a very bad dream, like those Sara still got occasionally. Though, according to the brunette it wasn't as often as it used to be. Sara had more than once told her that is was because of her. At times even teased her about it. That it was because she had such a big bad detective in her bed that even the darkest nightmare didn't dare enter the bedroom. Sofia had just smiled at that, knowing it was Sara's way of telling her just how much she meant to her.

Not that they hadn't said 'I love you' to each other, they had. Not a lot, though. It was too precious a statement for them to be using in every other sentence. They were very much alike that way.

She had said it first. She could still remember the fear that had rushed through her body the second the words were out of her mouth. Feared it was too soon. Feared the brunette couldn't handle the emotional statement. Feared she would retreat. But Sara had just looked at her and given her that lovely well-known smile and said "I know". Sara hadn't said it back… that day. It had been a while later before she had heard it for the first time.

She had been in the kitchen cooking dinner. The brunette had entered the room and embraced her from behind. After a light kiss to her temple Sara had just said it, and for a long moment afterwards her world had just stopped. She knew she would never forget that incredible warmth that had spread throughout her entire body, hearing her lover saying those three words.

After recovering a bit she had smiled and just like Sara had done earlier, she had said "I know". After another kiss to her temple the brunette had nodded and replied "good", and subsequently left the kitchen again. She had been so absentminded after that, that she'd almost burned dinner.

And here she sat not knowing if she would ever feel those arms around her again. Ever hear those words again. Sara had become her life and tonight there was a possibility that her life as she knew and loved it could end. She knew that she needed to be optimistic, but she was scared. She took out her phone hoping she had missed a call, missed the vibration announcing an incoming text message, but the phone was as empty as she felt. She pushed down the speed dial button and waited…

"_This is the voice mail…" _

00000

"Any news?" Nick asked nodding towards the TV, as he came back into the break room.

"Not so far" Warrick replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "Have you seen Sofia?"

"No, Greg went outside to see how she is holding up." He went to the fridge and took out a bottle of water. "Did you know?"

Warrick shook his head, "no I don't think any of us did." He took another sip of his coffee, "well, maybe Greg did, he and Sara are pretty close."

"Hey, turn the volume up."

"_This is channel 5 back with more updates on the plane crash. __Officials from both LAX and McCarran International Airport's has just confirmed that the plane that has crashed in the desert outside of Enterprise was an Airway America flight. The plane, flying out from LAX, was an Airbus A320 which have the capacity of carrying 156 passengers. Airway America is still to release the flight number, but an official from the Air Line says they'll release the number within the next hour…"_

Brass came into the room as Warrick was turning the volume down. He plopped down on a chair, heavily, and gazed at the Texan, "be a pal and pour an old man a cup of coffee."

Nick who stood beside the coffee pot filled a cup and placed in front of Brass before sitting down opposite of him. "Thanks" Jim sighed taking a sip. "I've just talked with an acquaintance of mine that works at the airport. The plane belongs to Airway America."

"We know the news just released that information" Warrick told him, nodding towards the TV.

"Okay, but I know a bit more than that. The flight number is 4590. The plane took off from LAX at 9.40 PM destined for landing at McCarran at 10.50 PM."

The door opened and let in Greg and Sofia. "Any news?" The blonde detective asked as she noticed her boss.

"Some, but nothing that'll make us any wiser" Brass answered.

Sofia gave a slight nod of acknowledgement and sat down. Greg got the coffee pot and refilled the cups of those who wanted more, then sat down beside Sofia.

The door opened again and this time Catherine entered. "Griss just got off the phone with one of the organizers of the seminar. The teacher had to leave when a family member was acute hospitalized. When the organizers couldn't find a substitute that could take over with such short notice they decided to cancel the course."

"Did they know anything about Sara's activities after that?" Sofia asked impatiently, indifferent to why the course had been canceled.

"No. The hotel was in charge of changing tickets and get the participants on their way home tonight" Catherine answered. "Grissom is on the phone with the hotel right now getting flight information's."

The room felt into silence until Grissom came in. "Okay, I finally got in contact with the person who arranged the home-transporting." He gazed down on the paper in his hand. "They got her a seat on an Airbus A320 from Airway America, flight number 4590. She was to leave from LAX at 9.40 PM and landing in McCarran at 10.50 PM. The hotel called a cab on her request. It picked her up two hours before takeoff. I got the number on the taxi company but I haven't called them yet."

"This is so not happening" Warrick groaned.

Sofia glanced from Grissom to Warrick to Brass, "what?"

Nick had suddenly turned pale, looking at Brass he asked, "Was the plane full?"

Sofia stared at Brass in horror, "its Sara's flight, isn't it?"

"No one knows that yet, Nick. LAX is still working on the boarding passes." Brass turned to Sofia and slowly nodded, "I'm afraid so, but let's not jump to any conclusions before we even know whether or not she went onboard."

They all knew he was right, but unless traffic had prevented Sara of being at the airport on time, none of them could think of a reason why she shouldn't have gotten onboard.

There was an awkward silence. Nick broke it, trying desperately to avoid the inevitable thought. "If you give me the number to the taxi company then I'll try to find out where Sara went after leaving the hotel" he suggested, holding his hand out for the paper Grissom still held in his hand.

Another silence, and Sofia's throat was getting tight again. Her mind raced helplessly over the implications. Panic was biting at her again.

Grissom handed him the paper. "Good idea," he said, doing his best to steady his voice. "Be sure to get the exact time they arrived at the airport."

"Sure" Nick replied as he headed towards the door, glad to have something to do other than just sit and wait.

00000

So absorbed in their own thoughts everyone almost jumped out of their seats when Brass' phone suddenly rang.

He fished it out and answered short, "Brass." For a moment he just listened. "And you are absolutely sure about that?" He nodded, "good let me have it." He wrote a number down and thanked the caller and disconnected the line.

Before he could say anything Nick came into the room and began informing. "I talked to the taxi driver who drove Sara to the airport. According to his timetable he delivered her in front of terminal 6 at 7.10 PM."

"So we know she made it to the airport" Grissom concluded. "Jim?"

"It was my contact at the airport. The plane was over booked" he said, looking at Sofia he handed her the paper from his notebook. "LAX has finished tracking down boarding passes; this is the number to call to see if she was on that flight." Sofia's shivering hand took the paper.

"Do you want one of us to make the call?" Greg asked, sympathetically.

"No… this is a call I have to make…" She gently patted his shoulder, and darted out of the room.

00000

Stopping just inside the doorway Greg just watched the detective for a few moments before speaking. "Did Sara get on that flight?" She didn't look up. She didn't hear him. Greg quietly sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "Sofia?" She looked up at him slowly, fighting the tears.

She could feel herself breaking.

This was the last thing she needed. She wasn't supposed to break down in front of anyone. No one was supposed to see her like this. Her anger began rising as she struggled to hold back her tears, but before she could get herself under control, Greg pulled her into his embrace as she sobbed against his shoulder.

She quietly stood and walked to the window. She was lost and Greg wasn't sure how to deal with her. "Sofia?" She slowly turned her eyes from the lights of Vegas to him, but didn't utter a word. "Did they have her boarding pass?" He knew it was a stupid question, the detective's reaction said it all, but he needed to hear it in words.

Sofia slowly began to nod her head. "Yes." It was all she could muster at that point. Her head fell to her hands and the emotions took over.

Greg pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Sofia," he whispered.

She was trembling violently, her sobs becoming uncontrollable. "I can't lose her! I can't!" Greg tightened his arms and held her closer, trying to calm her in any way he could.

He gently wiped her tears away as his own were falling. "I know…" He could feel her tears seeping through his shirt and onto his skin. It was breaking his heart to see her this upset. "Let me drive you home."

Trying to regain her composure, she looked at him. "No. I'm not leaving…"

Greg nodded with understanding. "I'll inform the others" he said, letting go of her.

She slowly nodded. "Okay." Turning back to the skyline, she began to cry softly.

00000

Nervous CSIs milled around the break room waiting for news when Greg entered. His hands were fisted in his pockets Nick noticed, and his face was drawn with tension. He stared at them, upset, sadness burning in his eyes.

"Greg?" Warrick tilted his head to regard him.

Greg took a deep, shuddering breath, and looked down. "Sh…" he said, or tried to, but the words caught in his throat. "They have her boarding pass" he said at last, very quietly.

Nick's face streaked with tears; Catherine's mouth open in a soundless cry of horror. A tear fell from Warrick's eye as Catherine put her arm around him.

Brass could not remember ever feeling so helpless. Not even when Nick had been taken, for there was always something to do, some idea to chase. The race had been against the clock, but even then they had known Nick was still alive.

Grissom knew that he should speak to his team, be there for them and allow them to be there for him. After all, they were losing her too, colleague and mentor and friend. But he just couldn't find any words. All he could think about was that he would never see her again. Never hear her laugh or speak or yell at him.

"Please tell me this isn't real," Nick muttered under his breath.

Greg kept swallowing against the lump in his throat, but nothing made it go away.

Brass rubbed tiredly at his face with the palms of both hands. "I should probably notify the sheriff" he mumbled, not moving at all.

"Yeah, and I should inform Ecklie" Grissom rejoined, not leaving his seat.

Everyone turned at the pounding knock at the door. Judy stood in the doorway, eyes wide and wild, her cheeks flushed and her mouth trembling. "It's just been announced that the rescue team has found survivors."

Nick jumped up from his chair. "Come on man! We've to get out there…"

"They won't let us in unless the FAA request for our help, which I seriously doubt they'll do with the feds present" Brass started, letting out another deep breath.

Warrick scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the weariness and the memory of Sara's eyes and smile. "You'll need the feds and a full squad to keep me away."

Every fiber in Greg's body strained to be out searching for Sara. His heart wailed, demanding action. "We got to get out there because if there's anyone I know that's stubborn enough to survive a plane crash…" That statement brought a little smile to their faces, mostly because they knew he was right.

The quiet approach of someone behind his left shoulder made Greg turn. Sofia stopped next to him and looked at the captain. "I'm not going to sit around here and let a bunch of feds that don't give a damn look for Sara's..." she trailed off, refusing to add body to her sentence.

Brass let out a breath, and when Grissom looked up he could see the misery in his old friend's eyes. "I know, Sofia. I know."

"We're going out there" Grissom said. "It's very unlikely they'll let us collect accident evidence, but maybe we can pitch in with victim ID."

"Worth a try" Catherine said. The rest nodded in agreement.

"Sure you're up for this?" Greg asked as they started hurrying towards the cars, his arm hooked through the blonde's, Nick already digging his keys out of his pocket.

Sofia let out a pained breath. "I need to find her… I… I just need to be sure, Greg."

It didn't take long before they were on the road, heading towards the scene of the air crash.

**TBC… **


	2. Chapter 2

The blue lights of patrol cars blended with the red and white strobes of ambulances and fire engines. It seemed like every member of the LVPD, LVFD, and every other rescue worker in Las Vegas was headed for this single accident. When the CSIs got there themselves, they understood why.

Acrid smoke filled the air of the destroyed and still burning commercial airplane. Crashed metal and plane seats were strewn around. The stench of burning jet fuel and burned flesh hung in the air, coating everything like devastating smog.

Doctor Al Robbins and David were on the scene, walking through the chaos trying get to the bodies. The Rescue teams were still pulling bodies out of the destroyed plane, sand dust and ashes covered their faces and they coughed constantly because the air was full of smoke.

It was overwhelming. The sights, the smells. The air smelled of death and Sofia's stomach turned sourly. Embers rose into the star lit night sky and she felt the chill of catastrophe through her clothes. Fear trickled down her spine. But even though her eyes saw it, her soul couldn't believe it.

She stood transfixed for a moment, staring at the press pushed up against the police barriers trying to get a morbid picture of the destruction. Her eyes tracked its path to the plane wreck, then she bowed her head and shivered. A touch on her shoulder jarred her from her thoughts.

"You okay?" Brass asked quietly, his voice more gentle than she had heard in a very long time.

"Just thinking about... you know," she said weakly, trying to shrug away the emotions.

"You don't have to do this, no one will blame you if you wait in the car" he said, smiling supportively.

The shadow falling across her face made it clearer what this was costing her. "I will…" Jim gave her a short jerk of a nod.

"Okay. If it gets too much let me know and I'll get you away from here."

Sofia only nodded and fell into steps as they followed the CSI team towards the area that was cordoned off by the all too familiar yellow police tape.

A man in a black suit shut off his phone as the group approached. "Gentlemen, you have to step back" he said with great authority, even though he wasn't more than in his late twenties. Both Brass and Grissom showed him their ID but the man just continued. "This crime scene is federal, rather than local so you have no jurisdiction here."

"We are aware of that." Brass cocked his head, eyes sharpening. "Don't mean we can't be of any help, though."

"Not my call to make, that's entirely up to FAA" the agent said flatly.

Realizing where the conversation was leading Warrick quickly stepped several yards away from his team and called Doc Robbins.

"Then perhaps you can get a FAA representative over here" Catherine retorted rather irritated.

"Listen lady, The FAA are in charge of this scene and I'm sure they are capable of getting in contact with you guys if they need help" he replied simply.

"Actually, as Chief Medical Examiner of Clark County, I trump both the FBI and FAA when it comes to bodies lying on the ground in my jurisdiction," Al Robbins said, making his way towards the group. "This is my scene… like it or not."

"Al," Grissom greeted him warmly. "Need any help?"

"Unfortunately! I could use you guys help ID-ing the victims" he said, standing next to Grissom. "Agent, this group is with me. I want everyone inside the second tape. Now."

"Yes, sir," the agent hissed, moving the barricade so the group could enter the hot zone.

"Good." Doc Robbins nodded and hobbled briskly away, giving no hint of anything other than a professional demeanor. The group quickly followed him.

The smell of charred flesh was thicker in the air as they moved closer and burnt corpses were thrown around like discarded toys.

"Found any survivors?" Nick asked, putting a friendly hand on David's shoulder.

"Two male, both has been brought to the Desert Palms." David sighed rubbing his face, "don't know about their conditions."

Doc Robbins turned to 'his' crew, giving them their instructions. "Do not touch or move any of the wreckage unless you find anyone alive underneath it. The one's with a red rubber band around their ankle has been pronounced dead by one of the coroners and are therefore legitimate for you to touch and move. When you have a positive ID then write the name down on a piece of paper and fix it under the rubber band."

"Al…" Grissom said, nodding with a serious expression for them to step away from the group, hiding the nervousness he felt.

Robbins was a doctor, a man of science. But he was also someone who had spent decades observing the human condition, often in the vulnerable and unmasked moments of illness and grief. He understood the value of instinct. And instinct was telling him that something deeper was going on. "What's going on, Gil?"

"Strictly speaking, Al, work isn't what brought us out here." After a nervous out-breath, Grissom told him shakily, "All our information's says that Sara presumably was on this plane."

"Is your information's reliable?" Robbins asked, putting his hand briefly on his shoulder.

"Yes" Grissom finally said, all other words failing him.

"Damn it" he answered, almost soundlessly. "Gil, I don't think it's a good idea for you guys to be out here, you're too emotionally involved" he finally said, not looking at him, but intently watching the group waiting several yards away.

"Maybe we are, but neither of us is leaving until we know for sure" Grissom said sternly.

"You'll keep a tight leash on your team. And you'll make them go back to the lab if it gets to be too stressful for either of you." Al said nodded slowly, less in agreement than acknowledgement.

"I will" Grissom promised with a thankful nod before rejoining with his team.

"Do we stay as one group or do we split up?" Nick asked.

"You, Greg and Sofia go with Jim then I'll take Warrick and Catherine with me" Grissom suggested. Everyone nodded and the group split up in two.

00000

The increased shouting and hysteria behind them got Sofia's group to turn their attention from the ground to the uproarious voices.

"What the hell is that about?" Greg asked surprised to no one in particular.

"What's going on?" Brass asked as an emergency worker rushed by.

"Another survivor!" He exclaimed loudly over his shoulder, already past them.

Sofia quickly went over to the waiting air ambulance. When the rescue workers approached with the carry stretcher she pulled her badge out of her jacket and stopped them.

"Las Vegas Police," she said holding up her badge. "I need to see this person; it will only take a second!" The men silently nodded and stepped aside allowing her to see the person on the stretcher. After a long moment she turned to the medical present. "How is she?"

"She's in critical condition, but she's stable," he answered.

"Can I ask her a few questions?"

"You'll have to make it quick, the second they're done securing her the helicopter will take off."

"Ma'am, I'm Detective Sofia Curtis, from the Vegas police…" she announced. "Think you can answer a few questions for me? If you can't it okay, but we're looking for a woman that was on that plane. Tall slender brunette. Most likely reading some sort of science journal…"

"I uhm… I don't really remember much right now…" the woman trailed off.

"Understandable, you've just been through a lot" Sofia said gently.

"I've had better days, yes" the survivor hoarsely replied. "But now that you mention it, I do remember a woman that fits your description. She was wearing a dark leather jacket and I believe dark pants, but I only saw her briefly as she passed me on the aisle."

"Detective, you have to step aside she's ready to go" one of the rescue workers said.

"Thank you for your help and I hope your recovery goes well" the blonde said stepping away.

The woman winced in pain as the stretcher moved. "You're welcome, sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"Me too" Sofia mumbled to herself. She slowly turned and dragged her feet back over to the group. "It's not her."

"Did she have any recollection seeing Sara on the plane?" Brass wanted to know.

The tears in Sofia's eyes threatened to fall said it all. "She remembered a woman fitting Sara's description."

"She's injured, so she might not remember correctly, and besides, there are a lot of tall brunettes" Greg said, in an attempt to comfort the blonde.

"You're right, and it's not like we have found any of her belonging either" Nick added.

Sofia shot them both a faint grateful smile.

"Dammit!" Warrick exclaimed bending down.

"What?" Grissom and Catherine voiced in unison.

Straighten up he showed them the adhesive tape placed across the backside of the tablet he was holding in his hand.

"LVPD – CRIME LAB – SIDLE" Grissom read out loud.

"Oh god no…" Catherine's eyes began to shed tears, so Warrick pulled her close. Grissom swallowed the lump in his throat as he tilted his head down, his eyes seeming to focus on the desert sand beside Catherine's feet.

Warrick looked over her shoulder to gaze at the scattered baggage. A single tear spilled over his eyelid and silently ran down his cheek. The red-haired gently brushed the tear from his skin, caressing his face as she did. He leaned into her touch and said in a low voice, "That's Sara's suitcase, I recognize some of the clothes."

With a heavy sigh and slightly trembling hands Grissom went over and examine it more closely. "You're right, the tag has her name on it" he confirmed gathering the scattering clothes and placing it back in the suitcase before closing it.

Nick looked over his shoulder towards the blonde detective. His brow furrowed in concern after staring at her in silence for a few moments. Quickly he went over to her. "Sofia?"

She stood perfectly still, her blue eyes locked on the half burned body. Her voice was barley a whisper, a whisper ripe with fear and horror. "Sara."

Greg looked over at the pair to see both staring shocked ahead of them. Tipping his head in their direction, his eyes met Jim's. "We better get over there." Brass just nodded.

Both men all but ran over to their colleagues. Reaching them both lowered their eyes and cast a quick glance to the body lying on the ground. Even with the corpse mostly lying on her stomach all of them could see it was a woman. The body was long and slender and dressed in a black leather jacket. The dark blue jeans were torn several places. Her face was unrecognizable after severe burn, but a few remaining tuft of hair showed them that the woman once had had long dark brown hair.

Greg bit his lip as he hung his head down. "Dear god…"

Muttering a string of obscenities, Brass stumbled backwards. Nick and Greg stared at the display, unsure of what to do. Neither of them had ever seen him react this way at a scene.

"Jim?"

"Where the hell is Al or David" he growled frustrated.

The surroundings began spinning, her body was shaking violently, and if it hadn't been for the Texan she would have fallen to the ground as her knees gave up keeping her standing.

Nick quickly dragged Sofia several yards backwards and slowly lowered her to the ground. Sitting beside her, he kept a reassuring arm wrapped around her shoulders, uncertain what else he should do.

Taking a deep breath, Greg closed his eyes and tried to swallow the lump in his throat, and at the same time he fought not to think back on the case that had involved a burn victim. With no coroner in sight when he opened his eyes again, he mumbled, "To hell with rules!" Walking over to the corpse he tried not to gazed at anything else than her shoes. Slowly he kneeled down beside the body. He said nothing; instead he removed the shoes and stockings, and began examining the dead woman's feet. A few minutes later he got up and went back to the waiting group.

He squatted down in front of the blonde. "It's not Sara, Sofia," he informed relived.

Sofia's voice cracked slightly as she spoke. "How do you know? It's impossible to recognize her with all that burned flesh."

"Because this woman doesn't have a tattoo on her foot" he answered. "Sara still has hers, right?"

Sofia nodded weakly. "I completely forgot about that..."

"It's perfectly understandable; Sofia... shock does odd things to people." He lightly squeezed her hands before pushing himself up.

"You did well, Greg," Brass stated.

"Thanks." Greg swallowed; he could taste the bile in the back of his throat. "And now if you'll excuse me, I need to throw up" he said walking away from them.

"I'm sorry, Nick," she finally whispered against his shoulder.

"Hey, there. You don't have anything to apologize for," he told her kindly.

"I thought… I was so sure… she looks so much like…"

Nick struggled to maintain control of his emotions. "I know, Sofia. We all did."

As they reached the group Catherine gasped at the sight in front of her. "Oh dear God..."

"It's not her, Catherine." Hearing her name, she turned to her right to find Brass standing quietly beside of her. "It's not Sara."

"How can you sure?"

Brass offered her a small smile. "Because this poor woman doesn't have a tattoo, Sara does."

"Hey… you guys found or heard anything?"

Startled, Warrick jumped slightly and snapped his eyes to Greg. "Oh... didn't see you..."

Finally pulling his gaze from the gruesome scene in front him, Grissom faced them. "We found her baggage and her work tablet" he said in a low tone.

At the supervisor's words Sofia got up on her knees and emptied her stomach contents.

Catherine cast a quick glance at Brass. "Don't let her stay here."

Brass offered her a reassuring smile. "I'm not."

She looked towards the blonde detective, watching her slowly sit down on the sand. "Go take care of her. And... if either of you need anything..."

Brass returned her smile and nodded. "I'll call you. Thanks Cath." He went over and stood beside the blonde. "Come on, Sofia." He slid his arm around her back and pulled her up. "I'll drive you home."

"Sofia, if you need anything, you know where to find us." Greg touched her arm lightly. "You aren't going to go through this alone, we'll be there."

Sofia bit back another round of tears. "I… thanks, Greg," she whispered.

Numb, she let Jim lead her away.

00000

She never did remember the drive back to her house. Sara's face hung in the forefront of her mind, the gates of her mind opened, and memories tumbled out… the sound of her voice; the gleam in her eye when she grew mischievous; the feel of her sleeping breath against her shoulder; the last time they'd made love, an episode full of slow heat and silly giggles; the small vulnerable smile that she knew was only for her. Their first argument; their first date; their first kiss… and that were all she saw until she passed through her front door.

"Can you stay for a little while? I mean…" she asked, after he'd escorted her to her door.

"As long as you like, Sofia," he said, and watched the relief cross her face.

"Make yourself at home" she said, her voice barely audible. "I need to brush my teeth."

"Better?" Brass asked quietly, when she returned. Nodding she went to the kitchen.

"Want some tea?"

"Sure…" He watched, hands in pockets, as she fetched down mugs and filled them.

He accepted the mug with a nod of thanks. Sofia took hers over to her couch and sat down. Following her he sat down in one of the armchair.

"I don't know what I'll do if I never see her again." Brass stilled and looked into Sofia's sad, vacant eyes. He opened his lips to speak some kind of encouragement, but the blonde's words continued to flow.

"I wasted so much time before I gathered up the courage to ask her out on a date." She stared down into her mug. "Even though Greg more than once hinted she was interested it still took me a long time."

Her lips trembled, and she pressed them together. Brass picked up one of her hands, holding it between both of his.

"I was so nervous when I finally went to ask her, fearing she would turn me down. She didn't though; instead she gave me the cutest smile and said she would love to go out with me."

Her hand flexed in his, and Brass made himself look up to her face. Her eyes were closed, the rest of her lost in memories. He swallowed, trying to clear the lump in his throat.

"She looked so beautiful when I picked her up that evening, almost like she was glowing." A small smile played on her lips, "of course she always looks beautiful to me."

Brass squeezed her hand lightly, but otherwise didn't interrupt her as she continued.

"Dinner nearly turned out to be a disaster. I brought her to this little bistro I knew served vegetarian food. Unfortunately there had been a change of ownership and they had practically turned it in to a steak house." She chuckled lightly. "Instead we ended up in a diner similar to the one we use at work. But we didn't mind, to us the food was unimportant; all that mattered was the company."

Had it been any other situation, Brass would've made some teasing comment about her very romantically side. But... it wasn't any other situation. And, he knew that if it had been another situation, he wouldn't have gotten an admission from Sofia confirming her relationship with the brunette investigator.

"We ended up spending the night together…" pausing she opened her eyes and looked at the now blushing and slightly embarrassed captain. "At Lake Las Vegas" she added quickly, staring out into the room rather than looking at him. "For hours we just lay on the hood of my car and gazed at the stars and talked until sleep took over. When I woke up I was in Sara's arms and together we watched the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen."

"Sounds like a perfect date" he said softly.

"It was…" She shifted her watery eyes back to him. "I would do anything for one more night like that with her."

"I can understand that, unfortunately we sometimes just have to settle and be grateful for what we got." He didn't know what else to say.

Silently she nodded slowly, her heart thudding in her chest.

Brass nearly jumped out of his skin as his phone began to ring.

Sofia bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath. "You... should get that... it could be important..."

He didn't say much during the short call, mostly he just nodded. Closing the phone he looked at the blonde. "Tell me" Sofia half demanded.

"They found four more survivors at the scene, three male and one black woman. One hundred thirty-two victims have been identified through ID cards and wallets."

"Sara?"

"No," Brass replied. "The remaining seventeen will have to be identified through DNA, prints, or dental records. The lab is working on it right now, but it'll take a few days before they are done."

Quickly adding the numbers of bodies that had been accounted for left her with one hundred fifty-six which she remembered was the maximum capacity for the air plane to carry. It was definitively over. Realization hit her forcefully…

And the world was suddenly a cold, cold place.

She let out an explosive breath, smacking her hands down on the table in frustration. "No, this is… just wrong." She half-shouted, closing her eyes in defeat.

Brass jumped towards the couch and wrapped his arms around her and just held her. "I know," he choked out, to physical and emotional drained to say or do anything else.

"I don't know what I'm going to do. About anything" she whispered sadly.

Brass let out a sad sigh. Getting up, he sat beside her on the couch. "Look, you don't have to figuring it out just yet. You go get some sleep. You'll feel better once you get some rest."

Sofia leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Her hands were clamped in front of her to control the shaking. She didn't respond immediately, staring at the patterns on the carpet. The geometric design was soothing; the regularity providing a sense of order her mind lacked.

"You're right," she admitted, forcibly climbing off the couch.

Brass patted her hand gently. "It'll get better. Don't forget your friends, okay? Part of being a friend is letting your friends help you. Whatever you need we'll be there for you."

"I…" she sighed, resting her forehead against the hallway doorframe. "Thanks, Jim… for everything." Slowly she retreated to the bathroom.

00000

She shut off her phone's ringer, filled a glass with water, and then put one foot in front of the other and headed for her bedroom. Her own face stared back at her from her mirror hanging on the hall wall, white to the lips and wide-eyed with pain.

She didn't turn on the light; the moonlight coming through the window was enough for her to redress and find her way to the bed.

She sat down and folded up her long legs, and looked out of the window. It was then that the sense of injustice flooded through her, followed by pangs of such intense bitter-sweetness that she couldn't hold the sob in. A lonely sound, she dropped her head, drew up her knees and cried.

They'd talked about this. One of those conversations that had always been tinged with a sense of unreality, because the 'when it happens' weren't supposed to happen… at least not for a long time, and not like this. That was the theory; that was why you talked about them… saying it out loud meant it wouldn't happen.

But it did. It had.

After a long while, a stretch of dead time where she floated between numbness and despair, Sofia felt the cool sweep of the covers against her body. Turning her head, she stared at him. Moving slowly she opened one hand, and took the water bottle offered with the other. She didn't bother counting the pills as she brought them up to her mouth and swallowed. Opening the bottle she took a mouthful of water, then another, and then set the bottle down.

"You get some sleep. I'll be in the other room if you need anything" Jim said softly, as he eased the covers over her. He smiled sadly as she curled up into a ball.

Lying down her eyes once again turned towards the window and up into the night sky, watching the stars brighten against the vast velvet blackness. The sky that so ruthlessly had ripped her lover away from her. She shook her head slightly, and closed her eyes, fingers tightening on the covers and then gradually loosening as she slid into a void sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Even if the front door was closed gently it was enough for Brass to wake up from the slumber he had fallen into. He pulled out his gun and aimed at the dark figure that slowly was walking towards him. "LVPD, stop where you are" he said trying not to yell. "One step further and I'll shoot."

The dark shape stopped death in its track and let the bag in its hand fell to the floor. Brass reached out and turned on the table lamp without taking his eyes away from the figure. But as the light came on and the shadow transformed into a person his hand began shaking.

"Christ Jim, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Sara hissed out loud. "What the hell are you doing in my living room?"

Brass shook his head wondering if he was awake or if he was trapped in some wistful dream.

"Do you mind putting your gun away? I don't like having one of those pointing at me."

Logically Brass knew he had to be dreaming. He didn't believe in ghosts and obviously Sara couldn't be standing in the room since she had died in a plane crash earlier in the night. But still, somehow she seemed so real so alive.

The captain's silence treatment was beginning to confuse her; if she didn't know better she would almost say he looked like he had seen a ghost. Sara took a few steps further into the room. "Jim, I'm not kidding, put your gun away and tell me why you're here?"

It was when the faint scent of her perfume reached his nose Brass realized he wasn't dreaming. Smell never entered his dreams and he seriously doubted that ghosts smelled of anything, which left only on possibility…. they had misinterpreted the evidence.

Sara hadn't died in that plane… somehow she had managed to get out alive, or probably more correctly she hadn't been on the plane to begin with.

In one swift move his gun was on the table and he was out of the chair pulling her into a tight hug. "You really are here" he muttered into her shoulder.

Sara was getting more and more confused, and worried, by the minute. She was about to pull away to get some answers when she felt the wetness through her shirt. He was crying. And that scared the hell out of her.

"Jim, please don't say anything has happened to Sofia."

"No not to Sofia, to you."

Sara sighed relieved, and then turned confused, "what?"

"You!" He brought a hand to his face and dried his eyes before slowly releasing her. "You're death, or at least everyone thinks you are." He inhaled deeply and finally looked at her. "All evidence suggested you were on board on the plane that crashed in the desert tonight."

"What? It was the plane I was booked on that went down?" The meaning of Brass's words began to sink in, gradually filling her with a dread and a horror she could not have imagined. "Okay, okay. I'm going to sit down now. Gotta calm down. I've gotta breathe," she said, mindfully drawing air in and out slowly and deeply, trying to concentrate on Brass's words to keep from hyperventilating.

"Yes" he confirmed, gently guiding her to the couch.

"Christ! I can't believe it, Brass! No, no, no! Oh God, Sofia… where is she?" She jumped up from the couch, "she needs to know I'm alive and well."

"Calm down, Sara," Brass said, jumping up to intercept her. "She's in the bedroom asleep. I gave her a couple of sleeping pills, so it'll take a few hours before you can wake her up."

"Sleeping pills? Why the hell would she take that? She hates that stuff" she snapped at him.

"C'mon, Sara. She thought you were dead… hell we all did. Put yourself in her shoes. You of all people should be able to understand how she felt," he implored.

"She broke down…" she said half in chock, flopping down onto the couch, the uneasiness building in the pit of her stomach.

"Sara, in all honesty, I've never seen Sofia in that kind of shape. In the years I've known her, I've never seen her that out of control. And… quite frankly... I hope I never see it again. It was very frightening," he intoned glumly, taking a seat in the easy chair next to the couch.

She swallowed and exhaled, trying to calm her roiling insides. "I have no doubt of it." She took a deep, shuddering breath, and looked at him. "I don't know about you, but I need coffee."

"Sounds good" he replied, "and whisky even better" he added with a dry grin.

"I think Sofia keeps a bottle in the cabinet, so help yourself" she said, pointing it out before going to the kitchen.

"So what happened that made you miss your flight?" He asked when they were seated again.

"I sold my ticket."

"I can believe that" he said, picking up his glass taking a long pull. "Go on."

"While waiting to get called out to the plane I began writing a massage to Sofia with my flight information when this young woman came running up to the counter. It was evident she was kind of out of it, and standing pretty close I could hear all that was said."

"Let me guess, she wanted a ticket to Vegas" he stated, rather than asked.

"Yes. Her boyfriend had been in at motor cycle accident so of course she wanted to get to him as quick as possible."

Brass nodded slowly and examined his drink, finally deciding that less needed to be in the glass and more needed to be in his bloodstream.

"Unluckily for her the plane was not only booked up but also over booked, so even if some of the passage didn't show up there wasn't much chance that she would get a ticket." She paused to take a mouthful of coffee. "Before I had finished my massage my battery died and I don't know… maybe I took it as a sign."

Brass shrugged good-naturedly and motioned for her to continue.

"I knew Sofia would have left for work before I got home anyway, so a few hours delay wouldn't mean much. I went over and offered to change my ticket to a later flight so she could have my seat. But that wasn't possible; if I wanted to change my flight then the air line was obligated to offer my ticket to one of the people on their booking list."

Placing the empty glass on the table Brass leaned back in his seat, cradling his mug in one hand. "Then what?"

"Then I said with a very sarcastic tone of voice that if it wasn't against the rules then I would sell her my ticket" she chuckled into her coffee. "Well, they couldn't forbid me to do that. However, being very close to time of departure and since I already had checked in, it wasn't possible for them to change the boarding pass or to withdraw my luggage."

"I think I'm starting to get the picture" he said over his mug.

"But since you aren't asked to show passport or other kind of identity card on domestic flights it wasn't a problem with the wrong name on the boarding pass, so she got my ticket."

"Let me interrupt here, if that's okay with you?" Brass inquired.

Sara nodded and took the opportunity to refill her mug.

"For your information, wrong name on a boarding pass is very, very, very bad if the plane falls down."

"Stands to reason" Sara acknowledged, "But I don't make the rules, and the confusion it could create in a crash never entered my mind."

"Of course not. I don't think many of us would ever see the inside of a plane if crashing were on our mind just before takeoff" he retorted.

Sara's head lifted in a sudden motion. After staring incredulously for a moment, she let out a short, despairing sigh. "Shit! So much for helping… I basically got a young woman killed tonight."

"Stop it, Sara. You cannot blame yourself for this unless you knew that plane was going to crash. You offered your ticket out of kindness, whatever happened after that you're not responsible for."

"I know your right and don't get me wrong I'm grateful being alive I just wish it wasn't at the expense of another life" she replied, taking another sip of coffee.

"I can follow that thought, but I believe the right thing here is to be grateful rather than feel guilty" he replied with a gentle look.

Sara nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah…"

"So why did it take you so long to get home?" Brass asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"There are only departures every two hours after 10 PM, and with the next flight already fully booked I was looking at a four hours waiting time. And with more than enough sitting the past three days I decided to take a walk. Passing by the airports car rental shop I noticed an old Jeep so I went over to have a closer look."

"I wouldn't have guessed you're in to the old Willy's" Brass snickered.

"I'm not, but Sofia has wished for one for a long time, but they aren't exactly cheap" she smiled.

"I can imagine that. How old?"

"A Wrangler CJ 5 from 1979. It didn't take long before the shop manager came out and told me it wasn't a rental car, but if I was interested in that old piece of junk he was more than happy to sell it to me" she said. "Apparently his wife had bought it without consulting him first from someone who needed money for a plane ticket, and it was evident he wasn't happy about that and wanted to get rid of it" she added with a grin.

"Can't blame him if it is a piece of junk" he replied chortling.

"Looking at it you could front headed think so, but after taking a closer look it turned out it wasn't the case. The paint is quite degraded and has several scratches and will take some polishing and if it turns out it isn't enough I'll simply have re-spray it. Sofia might demand that anyway since its Burnt Orange right now, though the fenders, the soft top and soft doors are all black" she chuckled. "However, everything under the hood from carburetor to engine, plus all the bearing construction underneath it is in a good condition."

"Sounds like he clearly doesn't know as much about cars as you do which strikes me as odd consider his line of work" Brass said with a grin. "I bet he was hoping on selling it to some unsuspecting woman."

"Unfortunately for him I asked for a price before inspecting it to prevent him from raising it if it turned out the car was in better shape than he thought" she smiled. "The funny part is that I think he thought he was the one of us who made the better deal."

"If he got what he asked for, even if it was low, he doesn't have any reason to feel differently" he concluded. "So you drove home."

"Yep, that way I didn't have to think about getting it transported and in the end it only took an hour more than the waiting and flight would have taken."

"Make sense" he agreed emptying his mug. "Just don't expect Sofia to be exceedingly happy about the car for the first few days. You being alive will overshadow everything."

"I'm not, I can easily understand how she feels, I would have been a basket case had it been the other way around" she said getting up. "Not to be inhospitable, but I don't want her to wake up alone, so I'll go stay with her."

"Understandable" he assured, "I could use some rest myself after this long night" he added getting up as well.

"Shit… I better call Greg or Grissom to let them know I'm fine" she said as she escorted him to the door.

"Look, you go take care of Sofia, then I'll swing by the lab and bring them the good news" he promised. "And when she wakes up you can tell her I don't want to see her back at work earlier than Friday and the same goes for you."

"Thanks, Jim. I'm sure we can use a few days to ourselves after this."

Brass merely nodded as he pulled the door open. "That's what I'm thinking."

"Thanks for taking care of her" she said, giving him a brief hug.

"Always!"

As he walked down the driveway, he turned back around quickly and called her name. Her closing the door movement halted as she looked back at him.

"Yes?"

"Congratulations..." He motioned towards want he assumed was the bedroom window. "I'm just sorry I had to learn about the two of you this way..."

Sara gave him a brief but bright smile. "Thank you..."

00000

Sara went into the bedroom and for a moment she just looked at the slender form lying limp under the covers. She took three steps forward and sat on the edge of the bed. Sofia was paler than she'd ever seen her, and her skin was cool to the touch.

Reaching out, she gently stroked the hair from her forehead. Her face was drawn, and she could see the streaks where tears had dried. "Sofia?" She didn't move. Settling herself to wait, Sara snagged a forensic journal from the bedside table and opened it, but reading was out of the question for the moment. Instead she wrapped her arm around her lover and waited.

00000

Standing in the doorway, observing, Brass's wide and goofy grin faded as he remembered why everyone was there, but then it reappeared with the thought of the news he was about to give them.

The tense group hadn't noticed him yet, and Brass was grateful for a last few moments of peace before having to face them all. He was still a little dizzy with the events of recent hours. Sara dead …Sara miraculously alive… and now, home and well. His stomach was still a churning mix of relief and wild joy.

Sighing, he stepped into the room. All eyes turned his way, and conversations stopped.

"Hi Jim. Is there any special reason you're here?" Grissom asked.

"Just checking up on you guys" he replied with a smile.

"Where's Sofia?" Greg asked, worried.

"Home and presumably still sleeping."

"I thought you were going to stay and take care of her" Nick said accusing.

"I was until someone much better at that replaced me."

"Of course" Catherine slapped herself on her forehead, "I'm a mother and I didn't even think about calling her parents."

"I don't think any of us did" Warrick assumed. Rest of the group shook their tired heads.

"I'm not referring to her parents, I'm talking about the only person in the world that's capable of making Sofia feel better" Brass chuckled cryptically.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Warrick said curtly, ignoring the captain's brief, teasing glare.

"Jim, if you know something we don't then please just tell us. It's been a long night and none of us is up for guessing games" Catherine said, fixing him with a piercing stare.

The captain watched them intensely. They were all tired and their nerves frayed.

"Some investigators you are" he deadpanned. "Sorry, sorry. Just joking," he said with an apologetic shrug as Grissom glared at him. "Sara is alive!"

They stared at him in amazement for several long moments. Several times one of them started to speak, but stopped themselves. Finally Nick shook his head.

"What?" Greg asked in shock.

"She's alive?" Warrick asked incredulously.

"What?" Grissom exclaimed. "You better not be joking, Jim," he warned.

"I would never make such kind of joke" he stated forcefully. "I swear she's alive."

Taking one long piercing look at him everyone knew he was telling the truth.

Greg whooped, overrunning the other exclamations of relief and making several of them laugh. Nick reached up and smacked him on the back of the head, but he was grinning as he did it.

"I knew she was too stubborn…" Greg said, indifferent to the happy tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Sara… alive… but the evidence…" Grissom tried again. "I can't believe we could misinterpret the evidence so badly" he finally managed.

"Actually we never found any evidence that physically placed Sara on the plane" Warrick rejoined, pragmatically.

"We made the biggest rookie mistake of all" Catherine said, trying to keep her voice calm. "We assumed…"

"Well, it was a fair assumption at the time" Nick pointed out. "But for once I couldn't be happier to be wrong."

"Neither could Sara" Brass grinned. The group's laughter echoed in the room.

"So why was her suitcase on the plane?" Grissom asked as the laughter died down.

"She sold her ticket to some broken-hearted woman after she'd checked in her baggage."

"Doesn't explain the boarding pass, though" Catherine countered.

"Apparently Air Lines doesn't rectify names on domestic flights" Brass said. "Furthermore her cell phone ran out of power, not to mention she ended up driving instead of flying which delayed her homecoming further."

"One hell of a cruel twist of fate" Nick groused.

"I hear you, man," Warrick rejoined. "But at least the outcome is a happy one."

"Not that I don't believe you, but will she drop by later, so I can see her with my own eyes?" Greg asked hopefully.

"Don't count on it, Greggo. I doubt she'll leave Sofia's side anytime soon" the captain replied.

"You actually managed to persuade her stay home?" Grissom asked incredulously.

"Yep, none of them will return back to work until Friday" he grinned. Looking seriously at Greg he added, "no one will call them until tonight. On top of this event they need some privacy. Understood?"

The rest of the team snickered as Greg with a very childish pout nodded his agreement. "Understood."

"Let's all go out for breakfast to round off this emotional tough night" Catherine suggested.

Everyone nodded and soon after Brass and the graveyard shift left the lab.

00000

Grief waited for her at the edge of consciousness, heavy and poisonous, and Sofia fought waking, trying to slip back into oblivion, where there was no hurt. But memory returned and her mind woke up, and a sob slipped out.

Something warm touched her face, blotting away the moisture that had forced its way past her eyelids. "Please, don't cry, honey," someone said gently.

Tears blurred her focus as she opened her eyes, but she recognized the shape in front of her. She blinked to clear her eyes, and a hand entered her vision, fingers wiping away the fresh spill. "Sofia?"

She tipped her head back and looked at the brunette, and reality wavered. Sara was dead, yet there she lay in front of her, watching her with worry etched into her face. Sofia couldn't form words, couldn't figure it out; was her death only a dream, and this the truth, or was it the other way around, and she was dreaming now?

Her muscles were weak with medicated sleep, but Sofia managed to lift herself enough to lay her head on Sara's shoulder. The illusion lifted one hand to stroke her hair with a light touch, and even though she knew it was a dream she intended to get the most out of it. She lay still, enjoying it, her bliss warring with the knowledge that all this was an illusion, that soon she would wake cold and alone… more alone than ever.

"Sof, please say something…"

She didn't, though. Something about the dream was making her uncomfortable. For instance, dreams were usually disjointed and absurd, and physical sensation was muted. But she could smell the brunette as though she was really there, and she could faintly see the room beyond her body, every detail as it should be, nothing missing or out of place, and she could feel her hand caressing her upper back and neck.

She swallowed; her mouth was dry, another side effect of the pills. And reality snapped back into place, and she froze. "You're not dead."

Sara's hand slid to her shoulder, and she gripped it gently. "No. I'm not dead."

She pushed herself up and away from her, still confused. "But your plane… it crashed."

Strong arms surrounded her and eased her gently back down to a lying position. "Yes, but I wasn't on it." Sofia tried to pull away, but Sara didn't let her go. "There has been a terrible mix-up that let you to believe I was onboard" she said definitely, softly adding, "I am so sorry you had to go through this. Had I known the plane went down I would have stopped at a phone booth and called you immediately."

Sofia stopped fighting. Her brain was still too fogged to think clearly so she relented into just being held by warm arms that began to stroke her again, this time moving her palm over her shoulder blades and spine in a soothing motion. The blonde couldn't keep herself from stroking her arm, feeling the muscles under warm skin; tangible proof… that she wasn't dreaming.

"You are really here" she said in a thin voice.

"Yes I'm really here in my favorite place, in bed with you in my arms" she replied tightening her hold on her. "I missed you" she whispered against her cheek.

Sofia kissed her chin, then caught her mouth for a deeper caress. "I missed you too, Sara." The brunette's hands slid into her hair and held her still for another kiss. Sofia let her fill her senses before she place her head back on her breastbone. "What happened that made you miss your flight?"

It didn't take long to explain it all, to lay out her decision about her ticket and reason for it. Subsequently she told about the car, and how she had ended up driving home. Sofia listened in silence, her body warm and slowly relaxing against the brunette's.

After a moment, she spoke, her voice muffled by Sara's breastbone covering her face. "You never got my message?"

"No, but you can't imagine how much I wish I had." Sara squeezed her so hard that Sofia felt her ribs creak, but she didn't care. "I was writing you from the airport to let you know what plane I was on when the battery died, and you were already at work when I left the auto shop. So I decided to get home first and then call and hear if you had time for lunch."

"Sara…" she began, but her arms tightened, again.

"Sch. Let it go…" she interrupted, squirming a little down to face her even though she was no more than a vague shape in front of her.

"When I thought I'd lost you every part of me stopped function." She had to stop and swallow. "Don't ever put me through that again by leaving me."

She shook her head, guilt still cankering in her stomach. "Home is where you are," she answered, freeing one hand to stroke her cheek. "I love you so much, Sofia, and I have no intension of ever leaving you." Sara pulled her as close as humanly possible, and then they were locked together, the tightest embrace Sofia had ever experienced and every inch of it welcome.

For the first time since the waken nightmare had begun Sofia smiled, and then their lips met and clung in a hungry sweet caress. "I love you too."

Sara smiled and stroked her face affectionately. "You should get some more sleep."

Sofia nodded, a smile flickering in her still dimmed blue irises. "And I will soon. I just need to stay like this a little longer."

"You'll stay like this for the rest of the night; actually I'm not planning on letting you leave my arms for the next couple of days, at least not for other things than bathroom visits and food."

"I wish," she said with a sigh, "unfortunately we both have work tomorrow."

"No we don't. Jim doesn't want to see you back on duty for at least two days, and I'm not expected back until Friday."

"Of course he doesn't…" She shook her head gently as she searched for the right words. "He knows… I mean about us… uhm, actually they all do."

Sara supposed that she should feel more upset about her relationship with Sofia becoming public knowledge, but at the moment she simply didn't have the time to spare to worry about it. Sofia herself was far more important; anything else could be dealt with later.

"I figured as much" she replied softly. "I think… it was a secret past its time anyway."

"Yeah…" She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Though, I seriously doubt Warrick and Nick are letting it slide anytime soon."

"It's okay... it'll blow over..." She grinned at her and winked. "Otherwise, I'm sure they don't like to be reminded that it took them eight months and a plane crash to figure it out."

The blonde laughed lightly and yawned. "Yeah, that might put a damper on their teasing."

"I would think so" she smiled, lightly caressing her cheek, "and now you need to go back to sleep."

The blonde molded herself against the brunette's body, but still she couldn't sleep. Somehow she needed to be sure that Sara really was there, and it wasn't just a wistful dream.

"Sara?"

"Yes, my love."

"Are you really here?"

"Yes, Sofia, I'm really here." She grabbed her hand and placed it above her heart. "Feel my heartbeat? Steady and strong. You couldn't feel that if I weren't here," she assured her.

Sofia laid her head on the brunette's chest, lulled by the sound of her breath and her heartbeat, which seemed to be in harmony with the soul, a slow, sensual song.

The last thing she remembered was the brunette's arms holding her tightly to her as she whispered "I love you." She closed her eyes, her smile following her into sleep.

Sara listened to her soft breathing for a while before allowing herself to succumb to slumber.

**The end**


End file.
